Tricks and Traps
by rowanashke
Summary: Curious about some items in Iruka's file, the Hokage and Ibiki dream up a test to check his abilities. Everyone gets a little more than they anticipated out of the experience. KakaIru, Lemon.
1. Chapter 1

"This one is very interesting, Lord Hokage."

Ibiki slid a report across his desk, his scarred face thoughtful. The Hokage picked the report up and thumbed through it. Ibiki kept his mouth shut, wanting to know what he thought.

Finally, he set the report down and folded his hands together in front of his face. "Hmm."

Ibiki opened another file and slid it across to him wordlessly. Giving him an odd look, he picked up the file and read the section Ibiki indicated with his finger.

And another. When he'd read them all, he shook his head.

"You're right. That's…interesting. I wonder why?"

Ibiki shrugged. "The Fourth never told me."

The Hokage glanced down at the three files. A face peeked up at him, smiling slightly. He knew that face pretty well. Hell, he saw him every day. But he'd never realized how complicated his case was.

He'd graduated from the academy at eleven, passed his chuunin test on the second try at 16. He'd been recommended to the jounin exam at…seventeen. He'd passed…he reached down and flipped back through the first file. No, he'd…failed?

He blinked and re-read the scores. He'd passed, but he'd been…failed.

Personal recommendation of the Fourth Hokage. The subject never got to see their scores, of course, so the subject probably had no idea he should have passed.

He flipped through the first file again. The subject had passed his teaching test and, two years later, again by personal recommendation of the Fourth, had begun working at the mission and records office. Then he dropped the first file and picked up the second.

It was a mission report; this one had been filed by an ANBU operative who'd been on a team sent to investigate anothis team's disappearance. They'd found the orginal team besieged by missing ninja. Two of the team members were badly injured. They were being protected by the fourth member of the team. Umino Iruka.

The ANBU had made several comments about Umino's skill, obviously far above the level of a normal chuunin. The ANBU member had recommended that Umino be considered again for jounin status, with the comment that if he was, he'd probably be recruited for ANBU.

And…nothing had happened. The recommendation had been filed and then forgotten.

He dropped that file and picked up the next one. This was anothis mission report. This one was the squad leader of a four-man team who'd been sent to retrieve a stolen scroll. Umino Iruka was part of the team. It was pretty much a standard report. Except for one section, one small paragraph that Ibiki had pointed out. The team had come up against a pair of extremely talented missing nins and was having a very tough battle. One of them was down. Then Umino Iruka had preformed a very complicated jutsu and managed to trap one of the pair in a prism trap, leaving his other teammates free to take down the first one. When they'd finished, they'd gone to finish off the first and found him dead, the prism jutsu shattered. Umino said that the trapped nin had done something to shatter the jutsu from the inside.

The squad leader, not knowing any better, had accepted the explanation. The Hokage, however, was very familiar with that jutsu and he knew that it hadn't been done from the inside. It had been done from the outside, by Umino, deliberately.

The injured leaf ninja had died of his wounds while the team had been taking care of the missing nin and Iruka had been holding the prism jutsu.

The Hokage dropped the file and refolded his hands, deep in thought. Once again, Ibiki kept his mouth shut, watching him.

Finally, he sighed. "What do you want?" he asked finally. "He's obviously talented enough to be a jounin, but…I've heard him say that he wouldn't take it. He _likes _teaching those little monsters, and he's the best damn teachers we have. I'd hate to slam him up in ranks and shove him into missions unless we have to."

Ibiki shook his head. "That's not what I have in mind." He said quietly


	2. Chapter 2

Iruka yawned and stretched, trying to ease the tension in his shoulders. It had been a really long day. That Naruto, he thought with a sigh. Between him, Shikamaru, Sasuke and Kiba, I think this is going to be the class that's going to drive me crazy.

He sighed and stood. He needed some tea and something to eat, and then a good night's sleep…

"Umino Iruka?" 

Iruka whipped around, automatically pulling out double-kunai and assuming a defensive crouch. The person stepped forward. ANBU. Iruka didn't relax.

"You've got a mission. Starting immediately." The ANBU tossed a scroll at him and disappeared.

Frowning, Iruka slipped his kunai back into his pouch and unrolled the scroll.

…

The Hokage glanced up as the ANBU reappeared. "Done?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"Hmmm." The Hokage thoughtfully sucked on his pipe.

…

Iruka shoved the last of his weapons in his pouch and tied on his headband. Frowning, he glanced around the room and then left through the window.

This was a very strange mission. Slipping through the trees, he considered his objective.

I'm supposed to kidnap a jounin called Hatake Kakashi. Hatake, the infamous copy-ninja.

Why? The mission didn't say. It simply stated he was to kidnap and subdue Hatake and bring him to the ANBU office.

Why me? Iruka stopped, leaning on the wall. Why me? Why not ANBU?

He crouched down, his eyes studying the town thoughtfully while his mind ranged over the options.

Finally he sighed. If Hatake was a traitor, he'd be wary of ANBU. But would he be wary of a random, school-teaching chuunin? Iruka didn't think so. He knew he wasn't anything for a jounin to be scared of.

So where does that leave me? Iruka stood, bracing himself against the wall. And I can't get help; the way this mission was delivered, it's pretty obvious that it was high ranked.

He sighed. Well, this was going to be interesting. First things first, find where Hatake lived.


	3. Chapter 3

Iruka stood in the street, silently considering the silent house. He knew Hatake was in there. It was still early yet. He rubbed the scar on his nose, thinking.

Straight in, he decided suddenly. If he tried the least bit of ninja-stealth, Hatake would catch him instantly. So straight in, like the bumbling chuunin he was. Grinning, he picked up the bag he'd brought and marched up to the door.

He knocked. After a moment, he knocked again.

The door slowly opened. A masked face looked at him blankly for a moment. He looks tired, Iruka thought. Good.

"Hatake?" Iruka said quietly. Look shy, he told himself. Look…ah...he suddenly pictured one of his fellow teacher's faces whenever he got around a certain girl. Hah! He nearly laughed, but schooled his expression into a shy smile. "I was told to come check on you."

"By who?" Hatake's blue eye studied him warily.

"By the Lord Hokage." Iruka wasn't lying. He _had _been sent here by the Lord Hokage.

"Why?" Hatake asked. Iruka gulped. Uh..what the hell…

"Uhm…I guess he was worried about you." Iruka widened his brown eyes and gave Hatake an innocent look.

Hatake sighed and pulled the door the rest of the way open. Iruka stepped inside the house of the infamous Hatake Kakashi.

It was…neater than Iruka had expected. Setting the bag on the counter, he looked around. Not much personal decorations; there were only two pictures on the walls. One was a blurry picture of the Hokage, and the other was…Iruka squinted, trying to make it out. A group of kids. Probably his genin team.

Kakashi sprawled on the couch, eyeing Iruka silently. Iruka figited, wondering what exactly he was going to do now. This seemed like a good plan at the time, he thought with a sigh.

Finally, Kakashi sighed. "So? I'm fine. You can run along and tell that nosey bastard I'm fine."

Nosey…Iruka choked. He was talking about the _Hokage._

Have to stall, have to stall…Iruka licked his lips. "Uh…I brought you some food. Are…are you hungry?"

Kakashi frowned. At least, Iruka assumed he was frowning. It was hard to tell.

"Yeah, sure." Kakashi sat up and ran his hand through his hair. "Go ahead. I'll be right back."

Iruka started pulling the food out of the bag. He watched Kakashi enter another room, probably the bathroom. When Kakashi came out, he had found some plates and chopsticks and laid them on the table.

Kakashi took a seat, sniffing. "That smells good." Iruka blushed. Damn…but wait. That's good, he thought. Blush. Blush a lot. Look cute and harmless and…uh, cute.

Iruka passed a couple containers to Kakashi and dumped some on his plate, not paying much attention to what he was eating. He dug in. After a moment, he realized Kakashi wasn't eating.

The mask, he realized suddenly. He wanted to laugh. Here I am plotting to kidnap him, and Kakashi's worried about me trying to catch a peek of his face. "Go ahead." Iruka said quietly. "I promise I won't…look. I'm…not here to try and…sneak a peek."

He kept his eyes on his plate. After a moment's silence, he heard Kakashi pick up his chopsticks.

They ate in silence. When he was finished, Iruka took his plate into the kitchen, keeping his back to Kakashi.

"So. Did the Hokage really send you?" Shit. Kakashi was right behind him. Iruka couldn't suppress a yelp of surprise. Kakashi was practically breathing down his neck. "I know the old bugger is nosey, but he usually sends Genma or Raidou over to check on me. He doesn't usually grab random chuunin off the street." Kakashi leaned a little closer. Iruka could feel his breath tickle in Iruka's ear. "What are you _really _here for?"

I'm dead. Iruka set the plate down, eyeing the window across the room. Probably too far, but…

Kakashi grabbed him and spun him around. They were eye-to-eye, with Kakashi's masked face barely an inch away from Iruka's. "Is this what you wanted?" he murmured. Then he leaned down and slid his head down, nuzzling Iruka's neck.

Iruka froze. Oh, my god. This was…this was…

…perfect.

Iruka forced himself to relax as Kakashi continued to nuzzle his neck. After a moment, he hesitantly brought his hands up to lay them on Kakashi's shoulder, letting his head fall back. He didn't have to pretend to shiver; the feel of Kakashi's mask sliding over his sensitive neck was sending heated chills down his stomach.

Have to end this before it gets too far, Iruka thought a little fuzzily. It's a mission, Umino. Keep your mind…

Hatake reached up and yanked his mask down, then moved to capture Iruka's lips with his.

Iruka automatically opened his lips, letting Kakashi's tongue dart inside. Iruka moaned, his hands clenching on Kakashi's shoulder as Kakashi explored his mouth.

Got to…got to…

Iruka let his hands slide down Kakashi's back, pulling the older man against him. Kakashi slammed his hips into Iruka's. Iruka rubbed his back, then carefully lifted his hands and formed four seals. Then he brought his hands up to either side of Kakashi's head and brought them together.

Kakashi gasped as he felt Iruka's chakra slam into his. Pushing back, he stumbled, trying to catch the edge of the counter. But Iruka's jutsu was very good; Kakashi felt his vision blackening out. His last vision was the chuunin's face, leaning over him with a deeply regretful look. "Sorry, Hatake. Orders."

Kakashi blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

Iruka leaned back against the counter, trembling and trying to catch his breath. Oh, gods of my ancestors, this isn't fair.

He rubbed his face and pulled himself together. Then he bent over and tied Hatake carefully, keeping in mind Hatake's jounin status and his reputation. When he was done, he hesitated and then pulled Hatake's mask carefully over his face. Then he hefted the unconscious man over his shoulder and carried him out.

He took the roofs; the fewer people who caught a glimpse of him the better. When he reached the ANBU offices, however, he dropped to the street and walked in the front door. No way was he going to try and break in the ANBU office. He'd be dead before they even realized who he was.

The ANBU at the door gave him unreadable looks and allowed him inside. He carefully sat Hatake down on the table and followed the ANBU into another room.

"That was fast." Iruka wasn't surprised to see the Hokage sitting behind a desk, flanked by two ANBU guards. "I'm surprised it was so easy. How did you do it?"

Iruka blushed. "Ah, I sort of…uhm…seduced him."

There was a long moment of silence. The Hokage took his pipe out of his mouth and gave Iruka a bland, rather amused look. "You did what?" he asked.

"I…I went to his house with some food. Told him you'd sent me to check on him. Talked him into eating dinner. Then we…" Iruka blushed deeper. "He started to…and….uh, I…when he was distracted….I knocked him out." Iruka gritted his teeth and tried desperately to control his blush.

The Hokage blinked. Then he nodded slowly. "Ok. Mission complete. Iruka, this wasn't really a mission, it was a test."

Iruka blinked at the Hokage, his blush fading. "Huh?" he asked slowly.

The Hokage gave him a smile. "When Hatake comes to, we'll explain the situation to him. I'm satisfied with the results, even if I _never _could have anticipated…oh well. If he bothers you after tonight, let me know. You're dismissed."

Iruka turned and left, his head spinning. A test? Of him or Kakashi?

…

Ibiki shoved the ANBU mask off his face. Glancing up at him, the Hokage reflected that he'd never seen the torture specialist look so…he looked like was about to burst something.

"He…" The ANBU squad leader on the other side of the Hokage shoved his mask up. He was laughing so hard he was nearly crying, although there was no outward indication before he removed the mask. "I can't believe it. He _seduced_ Kakashi…"

The Hokage sighed.

Ibiki bit his lip. "Well, that certainly didn't go as planned."

"Clever man." The Hokage rubbed his face. "We'll have to figure something else out. Although, obviously, we proved that Iruka's willing to go all the way for the village…"

The ANBU squad leader lost it. Even Ibiki started laughing.

The Hokage sighed deeper. The Hokage does not blush, he thought furiously.

…

Iruka sighed and pushed the paper out of his way.

It had been two days since the "mission." He hadn't seen Hatake since. That was a good thing; the jounin was probably as embarrassed as he was. And probably pissed, too. Iruka glanced around the empty classroom, wondering if he was going to be on edge for the rest of his life.

He'd fallen really far behind on his grading since the…ah, "incident". So he'd stayed behind at the academy, knowing if he went home the temptation to fall straight into bed would be too much to resist.

He never felt Kakashi enter. He froze when a kunai slipped along his neck, coming to rest under his chin.

Ohshit.

"Hello, Umino." Kakashi's voice whispered in his ear. "Nice to see you again."


	5. Chapter 5

"Hatake." Iruka licked his lips and mentally ran through his options. Not much. Beg, he thought suddenly. "Uh…look. I'm…It was a mission."

"Hrm." Kakashi's hand was doing something to his hair. After a moment, Iruka felt his ponytail being released. Hair slithered down his neck. "Was your mission to seduce me, knock me out, and completely embarrass me in front of my ex-ANBU friends? Or was that an added bonus?"

"Hatake…my mission was to kidnap you and get you to the ANBU office. The…what happened…I didn't plan it. I swear."

"Hmmmm." Kakashi paused. Iruka felt himself panting. Then Kakashi sighed. "Ok. I buy that. You didn't mean to do it that way. What _was _your plan?"

"I didn't really have one." Kakashi hadn't removed the kunai. "I just knew that if I tried stealth or jutsu, you'd catch on right away."

"So you tried a different kind of stealth." Kakashi sighed in his ear. "Was it you that pulled up my mask?"

"Yes." Iruka flushed. "Hatake, I didn't…I swear, I didn't look."

"I think I'm starting to understand." Kakashi said quietly.

Iruka flushed. "What…" he started, but Kakashi cut him off.

"Well, you started something, and damned if I'm going to let you get away again." Iruka yelped as Kakashi's suddenly naked lips grazed across his neck. The kunai pressed warningly against his throat. "Don't move."

Kakashi started to suck Iruka's neck, his tongue flicking out to taste. Iruka whimpered, unable to stop his head from falling back against Kakashi's chest. Kakashi chuckled, moving up to take Iruka's earlobe in his mouth. He nibbled on it, and then released it. "Are you a virgin?" he breathed into Iruka's ear.

Iruka started to shake his head and felt the kunai prick his throat. "N…no." he muttered.

"Good. Because I'm going to fuck you right here." Kakashi purred into his ear. Iruka shivered.

Iruka felt the kunai press into his throat and stood obediently. Kakashi pressed against him, shoving the chair away and pressing Iruka over the desk. He dropped the kunai. Iruka whimpered again, grabbing the edge of the desk. He felt Kakashi's hands sliding under his shirt to dig into his back, then slide around to the front and slip under the edge of his pants.

He's serious. He means _right here_. Iruka started to struggle, but Kakashi pinned his hips to the desk and one hand slid around his shaft.

Iruka moaned and bucked his hips back into Kakashi's, his fingers tightening on the desk. Kakashi murmured something into his back, his other hand sliding Iruka's pants off. Iruka barely noticed, his mind focused on the delicious feeling of Kakashi's hand stroking him. Kakashi bent him further over, pulling him away from the desk so that Iruka's chest was laying on it, his hands stretched out, his ass thrusting invitingly up.

Iruka felt Kakashi's finger enter his ass and hissed in surprise. Kakashi leaned over and kissed the exposed skin of Iruka's back, carefully stretching Iruka. Iruka gasped and bucked, turning his head to let his face press against the desk. Another finger entered his ass. Kakashi changed the rhythm of his strokes while he shoved in another finger, wiggling and searching…

Iruka suddenly spasmed as Kakashi's searching fingers found what they were looking for. He cried out, and Kakashi pulled his fingers from Iruka's ass. Iruka moaned, but the fingers were quickly replaced by Kakashi's shaft.

Kakashi braced his hands on Iruka's hips and thrust himself deeply into Iruka. Iruka cried out again, but this time in pain. Kakashi stilled, buried all the way in, and bent over to kiss Iruka's back again. "Relax, Umino. Shhh…just relax. It's ok."

"It's…been a long…time." Iruka gasped hoarsely. He moved, trying to ease the aching pain. "Just…wait…"

"It's ok. I can…wait." Kakashi muttered. When Iruka felt the pain start to subside, he braced himself. "Move, Kakashi." He groaned.

Kakashi obliged, sliding himself out and then thrusting back in. This time, he found the spot and Iruka cried out weakly. "H..harder…"

Kakashi started to thrust faster, not pausing between strokes. Every thrust was incredible pleasure. The pain was quickly overwhelmed by the waves of intense heat. Iruka felt Kakashi bend to grab his shaft again. Kakashi's hand stroked in the rhythm of their thrusts. Iruka gasped in pleasure and started bucking back, nearly sobbing in pleasure. He'd forgotten how this felt.

Kakashi leaned over and bit his back. Iruka screamed, his body convulsing as he released into Kakashi's hand. A moment later, Kakashi cried out as well, slamming himself into Iruka.

Iruka sagged against the desk, his whole body trembling. He felt Kakashi drape over him, his head resting on Iruka's back.

After a moment, Kakashi pulled away. Iruka winced as he felt Kakashi's member slide out of him.

"Wait…" Kakashi muttered hoarsely. Iruka didn't think he could move anyway. He heard Kakashi leave and then return. Something cool and wet slid over his ass, soothing away the lingering soreness and washing away the stickiness. Iruka shuddered.

Kakashi's hand slid up his back, then Iruka felt himself being tugged backward. He didn't fight. Kakashi reached down and helped him pull his pants back up, then carefully sat him into the retrieved chair.

It was really hard. Iruka winced and shifted his hips.

Kakashi sighed. Iruka glanced up at him and noticed that Kakashi had replaced his mask and was giving Iruka a concerned look. Giving Kakashi a weak smile, Iruka shrugged. "Been awhile." He said softly.

Kakashi reached up and gently traced Iruka's lip with his finger. Then he turned and walked to the window. Giving Iruka a grin over his shoulder, he hauled himself up. "See you around, Umino." Then he disappeared into the night.

Iruka shook his head and slumped into his chair.


	6. Chapter 6

"You alright?"

Genma flicked his senbon to the other side of his lips and gave Iruka a concerned look. "You look like you hurt."

"I'm fine." Iruka grated out. In actual fact, he'd woken up very, _very_ sore. A shower hadn't helped. And sitting on this wooden chair was not helping much either.

Genma was still staring at him. Iruka sighed. "Aftermath of a mission." He muttered.

Genma raised his eyebrows, but dropped it.

Iruka sighed and went back to reading the report.

He had been trying very hard not to think about what happened last night. He couldn't say it'd been the best sex he'd ever had. But it had been very, very good. It probably didn't hurt that it's been a very long time since I last had any, he reflected. He sighed. Well, I asked for it, he thought with a grin. I should have anticipated that Kakashi would want to finish it.

And it's done. He finished the report and shoved it into the basket. It's over, he told himself firmly. There's no reason that Hatake Kakashi would want to see him again, now that he had what he wanted.

The door chimed, and Iruka looked up. Time to get back to work, he thought.

…

Iruka smiled at the kids, all who looked rather excited. And nervous. Giving Naruto a last, fond grin, Iruka turned and left the classroom. Today they were meeting their jounin sensei's, starting to train for their lives as ninjas of the Leaf village. It was a proud day for Iruka. Proud and sad. Today was his last day as their sensei.

He sighed. He hated graduation day.

Laughter brought him up short. He stood against the wall, giving the people who stepped past him a brief, formal bow. The one in the lead, Asuma, returned it and then clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, Iruka-san. You got them all shaking in their shoes for us?"

Iruka grinned back at him. "Yes. They're ready for you."

Kurenai laughed softly. "You're such a good teacher." She gave him a warm smile. "Well, we should go pick up our teams now."

"Meh." Iruka stiffened. He turned to stare at the man who'd made the noise. "I'm not looking forward to this."

"Poor Kakashi." Asuma laughed and winked at Kurenai. "How'd the Hokage talk you into taking a team, anyway?"

"Orders." Kakashi muttered. "Can't go against orders. But this team's going to be a problem, I can already tell. Uzimaki and Uchina."

"You're lucky." Asuma grinned. "I've got the slacker Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi. I bet they're just as much of a handful as their parents were."

"Hello, my esteemed fellows!" A booming voice quickly cleared the room. The other jounins, muttering, all but knocked each other over in their efforts to reach the classroom. Asuma sighed and grabbed Kurenai's arm, pulling her away. That left Hatake and Iruka to face a beaming, super-excited Guy.

"What a wonderful day!" Guy hollered. "Today I take three genin in the springtime of their youth and begin to mold them, guiding their faltering steps down the road to becoming full-fledged Shinobi!" Guy's face was streaming with tears.

Kakashi looked horrified. Biting his lip to stop from laughing, Iruka reached up and patted the taller man's green-clad shoulder. "Your team is waiting for you, Guy. Better go and meet them."

"My team!" Guy quickly dried his tears and bounded down the hallway.

"Thanks." Kakashi said dryly. "That man's a bit much."

Iruka laughed. "Yeah. He's crazy."

"Hmmm." Kakashi turned to leave, then hesitated. "Umino…about the other night…"

"Don't." Iruka sighed. "It's ok. It was good. But I…"

Hatake turned back to him, raising one silver eyebrow. "You what?" He asked slowly. Iruka flushed.

"I know what it was. It's ok. I'm not going to follow you around, mooning at you and declaring my love or anything."

"What it was." Kakashi laughed almost soundlessly. Then he was suddenly against Iruka, pressing him against the wall. "It was…" he said slowly… "Very enjoyable. And while I'm glad you're not in love with me, I have to say I wouldn't mind repeating the experience."

Iruka gasped, pressing his hands flat against the wall. "Hatake, your team…"

"They can wait. Patience is a good virtue for a shinobi to cultivate." Kakashi's voice was wicked. He leaned in and started nuzzling Iruka's neck, sliding his hips against Iruka's in a slow roll that made Iruka gasp again.

"Sh..it. Ka..Kakashi, n…not here." Iruka tipped his head back, his eyes darting down the hall to the open classroom door. "N..not here."

"You're right. This _is _a little exposed." Kakashi murmured into his neck. "Where shall we go…" He suddenly pulled Iruka from the wall and Iruka stumbled into him, grabbing his shirt.

Then they disappeared.


	7. Chapter 7

They reappeared in a dark room. Iruka, caught off-guard, held onto Kakashi as he shoved Iruka back. They both fell into the bed. Iruka gasped in surprise and Kakashi was on him, his mouth slamming down onto Iruka's. Iruka gave up the battle without a fight and returned Kakashi's kiss, wrapping his arms around the pale jounin.

Kakashi sat up and stripped his vest and shirt off. Iruka, gasping, did the same. His fingers were shaking so bad he had trouble with his pants; Kakashi made an impatient noise and bent to help him. Iruka hadn't _needed_ anything this badly in a long time. He barely got the pants off before Kakashi was attacking him again, his lips capturing Iruka's, his hand sliding down to cup Iruka's balls. Iruka moaned into Kakashi's mouth, and Kakashi shuddered. Then his fingers were inside of Iruka. Iruka broke the kiss and reached back, fumbling for the drawer by his bed. Kakashi took the opportunity to kiss his chest and neck. Iruka found what he was looking for and triumphantly shoved a bottle of lube into Kakashi's hands. When Kakashi gave him a wicked grin, Iruka flushed.

Kakashi poured some into his hand and went back to work. Iruka made an impatient growl and Kakashi chuckled, biting his neck. "Didn't suspect…you were so…damn horny, Umino." Kakashi gasped. Iruka growled again and seized the man's hair in his fist.

"Hurry up…you bastard. And call me Iruka."

Kakashi reached down and rubbed his slick hand over his shaft, then positioned himself over Iruka. Iruka moaned and arched his hips. Then Kakashi slammed into him, grabbing his hips to steady himself.

Iruka cried out, shifting a little to allow Kakashi better access. Kakashi obligingly reached down and gripped Iruka's shaft. It didn't take long before Iruka came, screaming Kakashi's name. Kakashi followed him hard. Then he collapsed on top of Iruka, burying his face in Iruka's neck.

"S..shit." Iruka ran his hands through the man's silver hair. Kakashi laughed weakly and kissed his chest. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind.

"SHIT!" Iruka yelped. "Your team!"

…

Iruka rubbed his forehead, staring at the Hokage with a frown. "Lord Hokage…this is…"

"I know." The Hokage puffed his pipe and stared thoughtfully at Iruka. "But I think it's within your skill level. I'm assigning you to this mission, Iruka. I expect you to fulfill it."

Iruka looked down at the mission scroll and managed to keep his face from betraying him. "Yes, Lord Hokage. I will fulfill the mission."

He bowed and left.

An S-rank mission. For him.

He reached his house without meeting anyone important and let himself in. The house was silent; Kakashi wasn't there. He was relieved.

In the months since Kakashi had become the jounin sensei of Naruto's team, he and the silver-haired man had been having a _very _quiet affair. As far as Iruka knew, no one suspected it at all. Most importantly, _Naruto _didn't suspect it. What Naruto would think Iruka didn't know. Or particularly want to find out. And it wasn't all sex; Kakashi, Iruka had been slowly learning, was a very complicated man. Deeper than Iruka would have credited. And he made Iruka laugh like crazy. Ok, sometimes he wanted to kill him, but still. It was good. For both of them, Iruka had come to realize. The jounin was crazy, like all jounin, and the mental and emotional scars were deep and frighteningly bitter. But Iruka could make _him_ smile, and Iruka was coming to cherish the rare moments when Kakashi was completely at ease.

I'm falling in love, Iruka thought with a sigh. Pretty damn funny.

He took a shower and changed, dressing carefully. He had to leave tonight. Pulling his hair back, he paused to stare at his reflection in the mirror. I can't do this, he thought suddenly. This is…

…my mission. He sighed and turned away, feeling sick.

After getting fully dressed, Iruka packed a very light kit and slung it on his back. Then he paused. Kakashi. He couldn't leave and not tell Kakashi he was going. And since he had no desire to do it face-to-face, even if he knew where the crazy jounin was, he left a brief note.

_Kakashi,_

_I'm on a mission. I should be back in a week. Try not to mess the place up._

_Iruka._

Iruka laid it on his bed and then left the house, locking the door behind him


	8. Chapter 8

Iruka fought to keep his face still. So far, it had been frighteningly easy.

His mission was simple: find and destroy a wandering band of rouge ninja who'd taken to terrorizing the edge of the Fire Country.

The problem was much more complicated. For starters, there were nearly twenty ninja in the group. For another, each of them was easily chuunin-level; a few of them were much higher. Iruka had killed one of them and henged, then simply walked into the camp.

He'd killed four of them so far, all in sneaky ways that couldn't directly be contributed to enemy action.

He'd strangled one in his sleep and left him on the blanket to be found. With no clues as to how he died, the others had assumed he'd had a heart-attack or something. One he'd drowned. The other two he'd killed while they were "raiding" a small village.

Tonight he was going to try poison.

He had several things going for him. The man he killed had a reputation for being surly and distant, so no one knew him very well. And this was a very loose group; they didn't post sentries or ask too many personal questions. It wasn't hard to pretend to be one of them, especially since his control of the henge was perfect. Keeping it in place required no chakra, and there wasn't anything about him that would give him away.

He distracted the ninja cooking easily enough and poured the powder into the food. It was tasteless and painless; the victims would simply fall asleep and never wake.

He hoped to get most of them.

He took his own bowl and pretended to eat. The smell nearly drove him crazy, but he controlled himself. Wouldn't do to get caught in his own trap. Speaking of traps. He ran the various ideas he'd been mulling over through his head. Some people wouldn't get enough poison to die. This was going to tip his hand, though. Hopefully the "distraction" he had ready would make them assume they were under attack from the outside instead of from the inside.

…

Eleven people survived the poison. Far too many. They were upset to find their comrades dead with no marks on them. The remainder gathered together in the center of the camp, muttering.

"This is an attack. There's no way it's not. We've been found." The leader, one of the ones that Iruka had devoutly hoped would die, was scanning the forest carefully. "Those cowardly bastards are out there, waiting for us to make a mistake. They think we're going to make it easy."

The group, including Iruka, growled angrily.

"What are we going to do?" One of the others asked nervously. The leader rounded on him, glaring. "We're going to find those fuckers and teach them a lesson they won't forget in a hurry."

"Let's split up." Iruka growled. "Cover more ground."

"Good idea." The leader said, to Iruka's relief. He split them up, two to a team. Iruka was careful not to get into his group. Iruka's teammate, a wiry looking man with a terribly scarred face, led him out of the camp.

Iruka palmed a kunai, eyeing the man's back. He had to make this quick and silent; if the man made too much noise, Iruka's cover would be blown. "Over there." Iruka gasped. "I saw something…"

The man obligingly turned his head away from Iruka. Iruka grabbed him, slamming his hand over the man's mouth at the same time he slammed the kunai into the man's chest. They struggled grimly, but Iruka won in the end.

Lowering the man's body down, he checked to make sure no one had noticed the man's attempts to call for help. Then he hid the body. Time for the next group.

He found them easily enough. Studying the situation, he carefully laid a noisy, messy trap that would not only kill the two but attract attention. He wanted the rest to believe they really were under attack. Then he got to work. He started laying traps, carefully spreading them around the area where the first trap was located. When the other teams came to investigate the noise, they'd blunder into the new traps.

Then he sat back and waited, well hidden in the shadows under the trees.

Trap one went up spectacularly. The two men struggled but Iruka's trap was too good. They fell under a deadly, noisy hail of chakra-driven blades.

The next team found the pit trap; they both tumbled into the pit that Iruka had created. Waiting at the bottom were jagged rocks.

The next team to arrive found Iruka's combination glue and fire trap. They were caught by the sticky glue. Then the glue burst into flames, sending waves of fire over their helpless bodies.

Shit. One of the men managed to wrench himself free, stumbling away from the trap. Cursing under his breath, Iruka slid through the shadows and dispatched the man from behind with his knife.

"You."


	9. Chapter 9

Iruka flipped around. The leader, flanked by the remaining three members of the bandit group, was standing in the clearing glaring murderously at Iruka. "Who are you?"

Iruka sighed and let the hinge go. "My name isn't important." He said coldly. "Only my mission. I'm here to kill you all."

"Get him!" The leader screamed. The ninja on either side of him immediately began forming hand-signs. Iruka did likewise.

They released their jutsu almost on top of each other: a wall of flame and a whirlwind of air. The whirlwind caught the flame and thrust it forward, howling towards Iruka.

Iruka finished his own signs just in time. He melted into the earth, becoming part of it. Then he shot through the ground and positioned himself below the four men. Reaching up, he seized two of the men's legs and hauled downwards, spreading chakra into the ground around him. The other two leapt free, but Iruka pulled the two screaming men into the ground and sealed it around them.

Two down, two to go. He burst from the ground and shot into the air, trying to spot where they'd gone. He nearly didn't see the thrown kunai, but managed to block three out of four. The last one slammed into his shoulder, jerking him to the side.

Iruka gasped in pain and allowed himself to fall to the ground. Flipping over, he spotted the leader, hands flashing in a sign that Iruka couldn't identify. Growling, Iruka sprang sideways just in time to avoid the effects of the jutsu, a tongue of earth that erupted below his feet. Rolling, Iruka snapped off two kunai and came up with his back against the tree.

Someone jumped him from behind. Iruka met the man's blows with his wrists and used the man's forward momentum to roll them both into the forest. Quick as a snake, Iruka slammed his hands into the man's chest and knocked him backwards, then flipped more kunai in his direction. The man managed to avoid the kunai but Iruka was already moving. Flipping his hands through the signs, Iruka summoned a chakra-wave that slammed the man's body against the tree and pinned him down. It was easy then; Iruka simply drove three kunai home, one after another, until the man stopped twitching.

One left. Iruka caught the man's movement out of the corner of his eye and ducked sideways, hissing as his shoulder tore open again.

"You're good." The leader snarled. "But you're not that good. Tricks and traps. Let's see how you fight a real ninja!"

The man was holding a sword. Iruka blinked when he realized the sword was glowing faintly. Chakra-infused. Iruka knew he didn't dare let the man touch him with that sword. The leader attacked, the blade flashing in the sun as he viciously lashed out at Iruka. Iruka ducked and wove, trying to find an opening to get closer to the leader.

Can't…avoid….much…longer….Iruka felt the sword pass just above his arm. Have to end this…he ran through the plans in his mind and found one that might work. It was risky…almost suicidal….but it was the best option.

Iruka rolled away from the leader and flipped around. Then he stood still, closing his eyes and focusing his chakra.

The leader laughed triumphantly and slammed the sword through Iruka's stomach.

The pain! Iruka cried out, but kept his mind focused despite the sick waves of pain that radiated through Iruka's body. Have to…keep…focused…

When the leader shoved the blade deeper, he brought himself into Iruka's reach.

Iruka snapped his arms out and seized the leader's shoulders. Then he opened his eyes. Smiling into the leader's suddenly frightened eyes, Iruka released his chakra.

It flashed up the blade, tangling in the man's own chakra. Iruka's chakra overpowered the man's own. Screaming, the leader tried to free himself but Iruka kept his hands tightly on the man's shoulders. Iruka's chakra burned through the man, attacking every chakra point in the man's body. When it reached his brain, it fried the man's chakra point and most of his brain in an instant.

The man collapsed, clutching his head and moaning. Blood was trickling out of his nose and ears. He would be dead in less than five minutes.

Now, to make sure…I don't follow. Iruka carefully pulled his chakra back into his body. Then, sobbing with pain, he carefully pulled the sword from his stomach an inch at a time, knitting the muscles and organs together as he did so. It took forever; Iruka was starting to get dizzy with loss of blood before the sword finally came free. He dropped the sword and then collapsed to his knees, hugging his stomach with his arms. So…weak. He knew he'd almost completely drained his chakra. But the bandits were dead; his mission was complete.

He knelt there for a long time, trying to gather his strength. When he thought he could walk, he reached down and picked up the sword. Using it as a crutch, he painfully pushed himself up and then walked away from the clearing, dragging the sword behind him.


	10. Chapter 10

Ibiki watched the chuunin stumble out of the clearing, satisfied. The other ANBU with him stirred, obviously wanting to help the tanned man.

"Don't." Ibiki hissed. "He's got to get back on his own. This is his test; if he can't make it back, he's not as strong as we thought he was."

"He's fucking amazing." The ANBU squad leader muttered. "I've never seen…what did he do, there at the end to the leader?"

"He killed the man with his own chakra." Ibiki said quietly. "It's not something that just anyone could do. It's dangerous; if you loose control of your chakra, you'll die as painfully as that man did. It requires perfect control and incredible stamina, but not a huge amount of chakra. I've only met one other man who could do it."

"Who?" The ANBU asked. Ibiki chuckled.

"Sandaime Hokage" The ANBU turned to him in shock. "He must have taught him; I don't know how Iruka'd know how to do it, otherwise." He sighed. "There's a side-effect, of course. Iruka's chakra was tangled up in that man's chakra. When Iruka pulls his own chakra back, he'll unfortunately receive some of the man's, too. It's not comfortable."

"I can't believe he's only a chuunin." The ANBU shook his head. "He should be a jounin and in ANBU. Hell, he should have _my _fucking job."

"He doesn't want it." Ibiki judged that Iruka was far enough ahead and jerked his chin to indicate they should follow. "He's happy being a chuunin teacher."

"What a waste." The ANBU muttered.

…

Iruka blinked hazily. He'd made it back to the village, but he'd collapsed at the wall. The guards had taken him to the hospital. He was happy. It was over.

He sighed and closed his eyes. He could feel the ghost of the leader in his head, mocking him. Iruka ignored it; it was a side-effect of the technique he'd used to kill the leader. It would go away sooner or later.

He heard the door open and forced himself to open his eyes. The Hokage stood there, smiling at Iruka. "You're awake. Good. I just came to tell you that you did a good job. Rest and recover. You're on leave for a week."

Iruka smiled sleepily. "Thank you, Lord Hokage."

The Hokage sighed. "Iruka, if you…if you can't deal with the ghosts, come and see me, ok? I'm always available, for you."

Iruka sighed deeply. "I'll remember that." He whispered. The Hokage chuckled. On his way out the door, he stopped and gave Iruka a wicked grin. "Hatake will probably be here very shortly. I made sure he "overheard" that you were back."

Iruka's eyes flew open, but the Hokage was already gone.

Shit. Iruka couldn't stop the smile that erupted. Some "secret" affair. Then again, he's the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. No big surprise. I wonder if anyone else has figured us out. I wonder if I should care.

Iruka felt himself slipping into a doze and didn't fight it.


	11. Chapter 11

_The dream was the same as it always was. The ghosts surrounded him, calling out to him. He tried to push past them, tried to get away, but they held him down. All of them, all the people he'd ever killed. He didn't know their names, most of the time, but he could remember every face._

_He cried out in pain, backing away. "Please, don't. Please…I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"_

_They laughed at him, mocked his weaknesses and shredded his spirit. Sobbing, Iruka fell to his knees, begging their forgiveness. "I'm sorry, please…please forgive me. I'm sorry…"_

…

Iruka woke, sobbing. Helplessly turning his face into the pillow, he cried, his whole body convulsing. Every time he used that jutsu, he broke down like this. It just was.

When he'd cried as much as he had to, he closed his gritty eyes and fell back asleep.

…

"Ruka."

_That_ voice could pull him from a deep sleep, let alone the fitful doze full of mocking ghosts that Iruka was currently not enjoying. Opening his eyes, he gave Kakashi a sleepy grin and whispered "Kashi."

Kakashi sighed deeply and pulled his mask down. Leaning over, he kissed Iruka gently before sitting carefully on the edge of the bed. With an effort, Iruka lifted his hand and gently stroked Kakashi's lips, trying to ease the tension he could see in the older man's face. "Hey."

"Yo." Kakashi reached up and took Iruka's hand, stroking Iruka's palm with his thumb. "Glad to see you're finally home. Took you long enough."

Iruka chuckled. "I did say a week. I'm only late by three days."

"Yeah." Kakashi grinned at him. "Just enough time for me to completely empty your refrigerator and accumulate a pile of dirty laundry. After all, I didn't want you to be bored when you're at home. I did, however, manage to get the kitchen pretty well cleaned up…"

Iruka groaned. "What did you do to my kitchen?" he demanded. Kakashi gave him an innocent smile.

"Nothing. Well…there was this little butterfly, and it was hungry so it asked me to make it breakfast." 

"A butterfly?" Iruka gave his lover an incredulous stare. "Asked you to make it breakfast…"

"Yeah. I was surprised too."

Iruka burst out laughing. It hurt, but it felt good. "You're such an idiot." He squeezed Kakashi's hand with his own.

…

The Hokage and Ibiki stood silently, witnessing Kakashi's and Iruka's shared moment in the Hokage's crystal.

Ibiki cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. "Well." He said slowly.

The Hokage tipped his head, smiling at Ibiki. "Find out what you wanted to know?" He asked lightly. Ibiki flushed.

"He's obviously suitable for jounin-level missions. He has the skills and the instincts. But…"

"But not the heart." They'd watched Iruka mutter in dreams, watched his fists curl. Watched him wake crying, curling into a ball and sobbing. Heard him beg for forgiveness, heard him apologizing to his ghosts. The sight had disturbed Ibiki deeply.

"Not the heart." Ibiki sighed. "At least we know he's more than capable of teaching the kids what they need to know."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes. And I'm glad to see them pairing off. They're good for each other. I worry about Kakashi…" he sighed, thinking about how much Namikaze had cared for the brilliant, troubled child he'd been. "But I wonder how long they'll try to keep it a secret. If I know Kakashi, he'll be reluctant to let anyone know about his involvement with Iruka. He'll believe that it would make Iruka a target."

Ibiki surprised him with a chuckle. "If Kakashi doesn't stop ambushing Iruka in the classrooms, it won't be a secret much longer."

"In the _where?_ The Hokage growled.

A Hokage does NOT blush, he reminded himself fiercely.


End file.
